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Fall Family Camping Essentials: Tent, Sleep, Camp Kitchen & Campfire Gear
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items Fall is the best time to get the family out camping: cool nights, no bugs, and campfires that actually feel good. These are my picks for a weekend tent-camping trip with the kids, from a roomy family tent and 20-degree sleeping bags to camp kitchen b...
Sections
4
Shelter & Sleep
Camp Kitchen
Campfire & Hangout
Light, Layers & Safety
Shelter & Sleep
A warm, dry night's sleep makes or breaks a family camping trip.
A cramped tent means elbows in faces and wet gear left outside. The Skydome fits a family plus bags with room to spare, and its pre-attached poles go up in about 10 minutes, even with kid "helpers." It beats a bargain-bin dome because the frame actua...
Coleman Skydome 6-Person Camping Tent
A summer bag on an October night is how kids end up in your bag at 2 a.m. The Brazos is rated to 20°F with a roomy rectangular cut and a zipper that doesn't snag, so it handles a cold snap and still unzips flat as a blanket on warm nights. A budget-f...
Coleman Brazos 20°F Sleeping Bag
The cold ground pulls heat out of you faster than the air does, and a foam pad or air mattress only half fixes it. The Static V's V-shaped chambers keep you from sliding off, it inflates in about 10–15 breaths, and it rolls up to roughly water-bottle...
Klymit Static V Sleeping Pad
A rolled-up hoodie is a lousy pillow, and an inflatable one squeaks all night. This one is foam inside a soft cover, so it squishes into a stuff sack and puffs back into a real pillow at bedtime. Worth it for the person in your family who sleeps wors...
Therm-a-Rest Compressible Pillow
Camp Kitchen
Simple gear for hot breakfasts, cold drinks, and easy cleanup.
A reliable camp stove turns a cold fall morning into hot coffee and a full breakfast. The Coleman Triton+ gives you two adjustable burners with up to 22,000 BTUs and InstaStart push-button ignition, so there's no matches or fuss, and it packs into a ...
Coleman Triton+ 2-Burner Propane Stove
Dragging a loaded cooler from the truck to the site is a back-wrecker. This 62-quart holds a full weekend of food and drinks, and the wheels and telescoping handle roll it over gravel instead of carrying it. A better value than a premium rotomolded c...
Coleman 62-Quart Wheeled Cooler
Thin camp pans scorch eggs and warp over a fire. A pre-seasoned Lodge skillet holds even heat on the stove or the coals, cooks bacon, eggs, and cornbread, and lasts for decades. The one pan to buy if you're only buying one.
Lodge 10.25 Inch Cast Iron Skillet
A trunk full of water bottles runs out at the worst time and makes a lot of trash. The Aqua-Tainer holds 7 gallons with a spigot for drinking, cooking, and washing hands, and the hideaway spout keeps it from leaking in the truck. Essential for any ca...
Reliance Aqua-Tainer 7 Gallon Water Container
Reheating water all day burns fuel and patience. The Stainless King is vacuum insulated, so cocoa or coffee made at breakfast is still hot at the evening fire, and the built-in cup means no hunting for mugs. Great for families who want a hot drink re...
Thermos Stainless King 40 oz Bottle
Campfire & Hangout
The fun part: s'mores, pies, and lounging around the fire.
Cheap folding chairs sag and leave nowhere to set a drink. This one has a padded seat, a built-in 4-can cooler pocket, and a cup holder in the armrest, all folded into a carry bag. The fireside chair for the parent who wants to sit down and stay sat.
Coleman Quad Camping Chair with Cooler
Kids get bored of hot dogs fast. A cast iron pie iron turns bread, butter, and pie filling or pizza fixings into a hot sealed sandwich over the coals, and the double size makes two at once so the line moves. The most fun cooking tool you can bring fo...
Rome Industries Double Pie Iron
Short sticks put little hands way too close to the fire. These telescoping stainless sticks extend to about 32 inches with wooden handles that stay cool, and they come in a pack so every kid gets their own. A must for any family that makes s'mores.
MalloMe Marshmallow Roasting Sticks
There's always downtime between hikes and dinner, and kids need somewhere to land. The DoubleNest fits two, packs into its own pouch, and sets up between two trees in minutes (straps sold separately). The camp upgrade that turns into everybody's favo...
ENO DoubleNest Hammock
Light, Layers & Safety
Fall nights get cold and dark fast, so pack for both.
Setting up camp after dark with a phone flashlight means one free hand and a dying battery. The Spot 400 throws 400 lumens, has a red mode so you don't blind the tent, and is waterproof for rainy nights. The headlamp to give each adult in the group.
Black Diamond Spot 400 Headlamp
A bright headlamp pointed at the ceiling wakes everybody up. The Moji is a small lantern with soft, dimmable light and a hanging hook for the tent loop, so the kids can settle down in a gentle glow. A perfect bedtime light for little ones who don't l...
Black Diamond Moji Lantern
I've worn Darn Tough for years, and they're the socks I trust when the dew soaks through. Merino stays warm even when damp and won't go stiff and stinky after day one, and the lifetime guarantee means you buy them once. Worth it for anyone who's had ...
Darn Tough Hiker Wool Socks
Fall camping swings 30 degrees from afternoon to sunrise. The Steens Mountain is a full-zip fleece that's warm, light, and easy to layer under a rain jacket, and it holds up to campfire sparks better than a puffer. The easy warm layer for every adult...
Columbia Steens Mountain Fleece Jacket
Scraped knees and splinters happen. Better to have it and not need it.
Adventure Medical Kits Family First Aid Kit